John y



(No Model.)

J. V. WEMPLE.

GUTTLE BONE AND FOOD HOLDER FOR BIRD GAGES. No. 385,650. Patented July 3, 1888.

UNira STATES Arnivr riricn.

JOHN V. \VEMPLE, OF SOHENEOTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HENRY SALlSBURY, OF SAME PLACE.

CUTTLE-BONE AND FOOD HOLDER FOR BIRD CAGES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 385,650, dated July 3, 18E8.

Application filed March 16, 1288. Serial No. 267,396. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern- Be it known that l. JOHN V. WEMPLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady and 5 State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cattle Bone and Food Holder for Bird Cages; and ldo hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has reference to a device for holding a cuttle-bone or other article of food for birds. &c.; and it consists, essentially, in the device constructed substantially as described, and in the means for attaching the same to a bird-cage; and-further, in certain details and peculiarities in the construction, arrangement, and combinations of parts, sub- 20 stantially as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

in the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved cuttle-bone or food holder for birdcages, showing the mode of arranging the same in connection with the cage. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the device. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing the manner oflocating itin a vertical position instead of in the horizontal position shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4- is an end view,and indicates a modification in the form of the biting ends of the clamping-jaws. Fig. 5 is an edge view showing a modification in the means for attaching the holder.

Similar letters of relerence designate corrc sponding parts through all the figures.

In carrying my invention into practical of feet two jaws are provided which are adapted 4.0 to grasp and hold the euttlebone or other article of food for the bird firmly between them.

These jaws are designated A A,and their biting ends A A. Thejaws are furnished with wings or cars a a, which project therefrom at '45 right angles to the main portion of the jaws and about midway of their length. These ears are perforated to permit the passage through them of a rivet, c, which serves as a pivot, so that a person by manipulating the finger ends 50 of the jaws may cause the biting portions A A to be opened or closed. Between the jaws A A is located acoiled spring, E,whieh is coiled about the pivot 0 and has its free ends bearin respectively,against each of the finger ends of thejaws. This will be clearly perceived from inspection of Figs. 1 and 2. Thus it will be evident that the tendency of the spring E will be to keep the jaws normally closed, and that when it is desired to open these jaws the finger ends must be moved toward each other. Anything, therefore, which is placed between the clamping-jawssueh, for instanee,as a cuttle-bone or other article of food--will be securely and firmly held there, but will be easily removable at the pleasure of the person using the device.

Inasmuch as my invention is peculiarly applicable to the purpose oi'holding cattle-bones, the portions A A of the clamping-jaws are peculiarly constructed to subserve the aforesaid purpose. They are made more or less concave on their opposing inner faces, their outer sides being in consequence convexed. The outer edges of these jaws are in consequence curved to conform to the shape of the cattle-bone, the edge of the upper jaw corresponding to the contour of one side ofthe bone and the edge of the lower jaw being similarly correspondent to the contour of the lower side of the bone. This curvature of the biting-jaws is especially useful to enable the device to ef fect-ively grasp the cattle-bone, for if they werestraight thebone would not be held nearly as firmly. I consider, therefore, this auinr portant feature when the device is to be used for holding outtlebones. If desired, these jaws may be serrated or toothed as shown in Fig. 1. This structure may perhaps oftentimes be preferable to enable a tighter grip to be had upon the bbne, but I; do not desire to confine myself to a scrration of thejaws, but reserve the liberty of making them straight, if desired, as shown in Fig. 4, orof making them mostly straight-,butwith points or teeth at the ends, as at a a. Fig. 4.

Such being the description of the structure and relation of the several parts of the clamping-jaws, it remains to describe the mode of attaching the device to a bird-cage.

The device may be located horizontally or vertically' that is, it may be so arranged as that the clamping-jaws will be in a horizontal position thus holding the euttle-bone horizontally, (see Fig. 1,) or it may be so arranged as that the clamping-jaws will bein a vertical position and the cattle-bone constantly held vertically. One of the elampingjaws is provided with a plate or bar, B. secured thereto at right angles to thejaw. This plate or bar may be ofany suitable shape,size, and outline, it being adapted to rest against the wires of the cage either in the position shown in Fig. 1 or that shown in Fig. 3. The part B is perforated to receive the screw-threadedportion of athumbscrew, D, which operatesto move a loose plate, 0, toward or away from the face of the plate B. It will thus be seen that the plates B and O to getherconstitute,in combination with the screw 1) a clamp. By means of this clamp the device may easily be attached to the cage. The parts B and 0 have a suflieient length to receive between them two of the wires of the cage, as shown in Fig. 1. I find it convenient, moreover, to make in the jaw which carries the bar B, near the base of said bar. notches or indentations e,whieh are calculated to receive two adjacentwires of the cage; hence when the device is located in a horizontal position two adjacent wires will be received into these notches, and then the plate 0 will be forced tightly by screw D against bar B. The device will thus be firmly secured in position. Moreover, I provide the part B with a groove, F, running from one end to the other of said part and on the face thereof opposite to the plate 0. This groo ve is of sufficient size to partly receive one of the wires of the birdcage. It eomesinto use when the device. is to be located vertically, as shown in Fig. 3, for in that position the groove F will receive one of the wires, and in this way the device can be more firmly held in position than if the groove were absent.

In attaching my improved cattle-bone or bird-food holder to the cage the thumb-screw and loose plate 0 will first be removed and the device passed from the inside of the cage be tween the wires to the outside until the part B comes in contact with the wires; then the screw D and the plateC will be fixedin position and the clamping effected. The euttlebone or other articles of food may easily be placed within the holder or removed therefrom by simply manipulating the finger ends ofthejaws without any necessity of removing the device.

In Fig. 5 is shown a modification in the means for attaching the entitle-bone holder to the bird-cage. I dispense with the partB, the plate O,and the clam ping-screw D, and instead of them the ends of the coiled spring Eare extended and bent around the respective handles A Aof the cuttle-looneholder to form thelooped portions E E, whose ends come in close contact with the outer sides of the jaws A A. These looped portions of wire are calculated to hold the wires of the cage firmly between them and the sides of the jaws A A, the wires of the cage being received into small recesses d. (Shown in Fig. 5.)

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A device for holding articles of food for birds, consisting in the combination, with the bird-cage, of the eonvexed interpivoted clamp ing-jaws having curved and serrated biting edges and means for attaching them to the cage, comprising plate B, secured to one of the jaws, loose plate 0, and screw D, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a bird-cage, a cattle bone, and food-holding device, consisting of the interpivoted clamping-jaws, the spring arranged between said jaws, and means for attaching them to the cage, consisting of a plate, B, secured to one of thejaws, a loose plate, C, and a clamping-screw, D, all arranged to operate substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

The combination of thejaws AA, having the curved and serrated bit-ingedges A A, the spring E, arranged between said jaws, the part B, secured at right angles to one of the jaws and grooved at F, the plate 0, and screw D, all arranged substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN V. \VEMPLE.

WVitnesses:

J ACOB V. OLUTE, EVERETT SMITH. 

